2008 Hayabusa – Return of the Falcon

So it seems that finally Suzuki redesigned the Hayabusa if ever so slightly. The new lines on the Busa seem more sharper and aggressive than it’s predecessors. Looks like Suzuki are on it’s way to snatch the top spot from the Kawasaki ZX-14. The specs as released on Bikeland.org indicate that the new Busa will be powered by a 1340cc engine.

And here’s a picture of the aquiline beauty

Is it only about paying bills?

I was talking to a friend yesterday and reflecting on life and I realized that my life has become like my job. Yes, my life has become a program, just a couple of lines of code. Just like the code I write that does a couple of tasks over and over again, my life has become the same in the real world. I wake up, get ready, ride to work on the same route, sit in the same office, check mails, start writing some code and running tests to check it, go to the same crappy cafeteria and have the same crappy food, attend some meetings, write more code and run more tests, ride back home through the same traffic (believe me…at times I have seen the same cars at the same stop light!), workout, cook, watch some sitcom, sleep. And then the cycle repeats.

Is this what life is supposed to be? Live like a machine? A robot? A piece of code?

 And for what? So that you can pay your bills?

Whatever happened to your passions? What about the things that you loved to do? What about those activities that brought a smile to your face?

Our parents tricked us when they told us as kids that we could do whatever we want and enjoy life once we start earning. That’s so not true! We basically just end up doing what everyone else is doing. You get a job, your bank balance starts to look healthy. Soon enough you buy your own house, you get married, have kids and then tell them the same thing your parents told you. And that’s when it dawns on you that you never really enjoyed life and by then it’s too late. Life has slipped away and all you actually did in your life was pay bills!

I don’t want to let life pass me by while I was busy writing some code. No, I cannot just go all out to pursue my passions. I have to be practical, since paying bills is a harsh reality. But I’m not going to let that drive my life.

I am going to ride my sportsbike at every chance I get, even if it is only riding a few miles to and from work.

I am going to save up to go hit the tracks and improve my riding skills.

I am going to keep practicing and jamming to improve my drumming.

I am going to be more regular with my blog posts.

I am going to watch movies more often.

I am not going to work to pay my bills, but I am going to work to be able to pursue my passions!

The Biker Bug

So what are the signs that you have been smitten by the biker bug?

Well, one day you are cursing at the stupid riders making noise on the street and weaving in and out of traffic. Then you wake up the next day and all you see is your dream bike and your only aim now is to go out and own it. Problem is you don’t know how to ride one. Your parents, uncles, aunts, if you are married then your wife, have all opposed to you riding anything on two wheels and you have so far honored their wish. But not this time! Nothing’s going to stop you this time. You will find a way to go out and learn to ride a bike. You are bitten by the Biker Bug. It can bite you anytime in your life – sometime as early as your teens, sometimes as late as after retirement. But once it’s got you, there is no escaping.

It happened to me too. All my life, I have been fascinated by cars and bikes. I learned to ride a cycle very early in life, but not satisfied with just riding it the usual way, I was soon trying out stunts. As I grew, there was a strange attraction towards the motorbikes. But any ideas I had about learning to ride one, were soon shot down by my “well-wishers”. Instead, I was fast-tracked to the 4-wheelers. And it took the same route. Not satisfied with granny-shifting, I was soon pulling donuts, drifting, auto-crossing and drag-racing!

But somewhere within me, there was this strange emptiness. My heart would flutter, every time I saw that big bulky ugly thing on two wheels pass me on the highway or appear in a movie or in the magazines.

And one day I woke up and the only thing on my mind was the Suzuki Hayabusa – the 1300cc monster. Suddenly all I wanted to do was learn to ride a bike. And that’s when it dawned on me – I was a victim of the Biker Bug!

So my friends, as a cure for this itch, I asked my friend to teach me how to ride. My first lesson was on the first Saturday of the month of April. As the engine lay idling between my legs, right hand on the throttle, left hand pressing the clutch and left leg ready to kick the bike into first gear, I felt a strange lightness surging through my body. Shifted to first, slowly let off the clutch and feathered the throttle and I was moving. I was riding a motorbike. The emotions were overwhelming! But this was just the beginning. I didn’t know how to turn nor was I comfortable stopping. After riding (read struggling) for about 45min, we decided to continue the next weekend. However due to some reason or the other, the weekends were suddenly packed with activity. I was getting restless with each weekend.

Finally, today we managed to find free time and I was back on the bike. It starts rolling forward and suddenly I was feeling a strange confidence while riding. The bike didn’t stall, I was taking turns today that a few weeks ago seemed almost impossible for me to master in my lifetime and I was enjoying it. That’s when I realized that I had connected with the bike. It may sound odd to you readers, but I feel that unless you connect with your cycle, your car or your bike, unless you keep faith in your machine that it is not going to let you down, you will never be able to ride or drive with confidence.

Two 45 minute sessions on an old rickety bike were enough for me to learn the basics of motorbike riding. I have been on a high the entire evening with a huge sense of accomplishment. It’s still a long way to go to master riding my dream machine on two wheels. But the start has been great and it’s only going to get better from here.